Baldwin County Circuit Court
Baldwin County is the Twenty-Eighth Judicial Circuit of Alabama. The Circuit Court is the primary trial court of general jurisdiction for the county. It hears all civil matters where the amount in controversy exceeds $20,000, all felony criminal prosecutions, and family court matters. It also has concurrent jurisdiction with District Court for civil matters above $6,000 and not more than $20,000, exclusive of interest and costs.
The Circuit Court also acts as an appellate court for cases appealed from District Court, Probate Court, Baldwin County municipal courts, and certain administrative or municipal boards. That appellate role is one reason a Baldwin County Circuit Court record may include material that began in a lower court. The Circuit Clerk, Brenda Ganey, is the records clerk for Circuit and District Court files, while the Probate Office handles probate cases and recorded documents separately.
Because the page file remains district-court.html, the content still follows the state map rather than the filename label. Baldwin County's primary trial court name is Circuit Court, and District Court is a lower court in the map. The filename is therefore a routing artifact, while the page text, title, H1, and comparisons use the correct Baldwin County Circuit Court identity.
The 2026 Baldwin Circuit Judge appointment source is tied to this page's Circuit Court manifest image.
Recent appointment notices help explain current court staffing when a user is checking judicial assignments or reading a hearing notice.
Baldwin County Court Table
Baldwin County does not have numbered trial courts in the way some states do. The useful local table is by court or office role. Circuit Court is the primary trial court, District Court handles lower criminal and civil matters, Probate Court handles probate and recording functions, and municipal courts handle city matters. Federal cases from Baldwin County are outside the county courthouse system.
The table also reflects the county's geography. The main courthouse is in Bay Minette, but southern and coastal users may see Fairhope or Foley listed on a traffic citation or hearing notice. Those satellite addresses should be used only when the court paper assigns that venue.
| Court / Office | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baldwin County Circuit Court | Felonies, civil over $20,000, family matters, appeals | 312 Courthouse Square, Suite 10, Bay Minette, AL 36507 | (251) 937-0280 |
| Baldwin County District Court | Misdemeanors, felony preliminary hearings, small claims, district civil, traffic | Main courthouse and satellite venues as assigned | (251) 937-0280 |
| Fairhope Satellite Courthouse | Satellite court and clerk transactions, including traffic venue use | 1100 Fairhope Avenue, Fairhope, AL 36532 | (251) 928-3002 |
| Foley Satellite Courthouse | Satellite court and clerk transactions, including traffic venue use | 201 East Section Avenue, Foley, AL 36535 | (251) 943-5061 |
Circuit Court vs Lower Courts
Alabama's Baldwin County structure is Circuit Court, District Court, Probate Court, and municipal courts, not a county-court or justice-court model. The difference matters because filing thresholds, appeal routes, and record custodians change by court. Municipal court records, for example, are not supplied by the Baldwin Circuit Clerk's records form.
| Circuit Court | District Court | Probate / Municipal Court | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil role | Over $20,000, plus concurrent $6,000-$20,000 matters | Up to $20,000, with small claims up to $6,000 | Probate recording and estate matters, or municipal matters by city |
| Criminal role | Felony prosecutions | Misdemeanors, felony preliminary hearings, non-capital guilty pleas | Municipal ordinance cases and city traffic citations in municipal court |
| Family role | Family court and domestic relations matters | Concurrent juvenile jurisdiction with Circuit Court | Probate may handle guardianship or related probate matters |
| Records contact | Circuit Clerk | Circuit Clerk | Probate Office or the city municipal court |
Baldwin Circuit Case Flow
Criminal and civil records move through the system in different ways. A felony may begin with arrest or complaint activity and a District Court preliminary hearing before the Circuit Court felony case becomes the main case file. A civil case may start in District Court or Circuit Court depending on the amount and case type. Appeals from District, Probate, or municipal courts can also place a lower-court dispute into Circuit Court.
Criminal flow: arrest or charge › District Court preliminary work › indictment or filed felony charge › arraignment › pretrial motions › plea or trial › sentence › appeal.
Civil flow: complaint or petition filed › answer › motions › hearing or trial › judgment › post-judgment action › appeal.
The 2026 Baldwin District Judge appointment source documents the lower-court staffing context that feeds many cases into Circuit Court.
District Court staffing is relevant because misdemeanors, preliminary hearings, small claims, and traffic matters often begin there before any appeal or felony-stage record reaches Circuit Court.
Circuit Court Divisions
Baldwin County Circuit Court records may be civil, criminal, domestic-relations, or family-related. Civil files can include complaints, answers, motions, subpoenas, judgments, garnishments, executions, and appeal notices. Felony criminal files can show charges, arraignment, pleas, rulings, settings, disposition, sentencing, financial information, document images, and attachments when available through court systems. Domestic-relations files may include divorce complaints, settlement agreements, decrees, child-support forms, income affidavits, withholding orders, and custody-related material.
Some case content is restricted. Juvenile records are not ordinary public records. Sealed and expunged matters are not standard public lookup records. Domestic-relations and child-support files may contain sensitive information that is restricted or redacted. For public access, use Just One Look for paid online trial-court information or the Circuit Clerk's request form for copies and certifications.
Twenty-Eighth Judicial Circuit
The official Baldwin Circuit Court page lists Hon. J. Clark Stankoski as Presiding Circuit Judge, along with Byron Brackin, Laurie A. Hoyt, Karol J. Kemp, Ashley Siebert, and Scott P. Taylor as Circuit Judges. Recent state appointment notices show Ashley W. Siebert appointed to a Baldwin County Circuit Judge position in February 2026 after Circuit Judge Jody Bishop retired, and J. Langford Floyd appointed District Judge in March 2026 after Siebert moved to Circuit Court.
District Court judge information still belongs in the Circuit Court profile because District Court supplies lower-court jurisdiction, preliminary felony work, misdemeanors, small claims, and traffic matters that may connect to Circuit Court through appeal or felony progression. The District Court page lists Hon. William E. Scully, Jr. as Presiding District Judge and Hon. Michael J. Hoyt as District Judge, with the 2026 appointment notice adding J. Langford Floyd as District Judge after Siebert moved to Circuit Court.
State appeals from Baldwin County trial courts go to Alabama appellate courts depending on case type. Many civil and domestic matters go to the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals, criminal matters go to the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals, and the Supreme Court of Alabama is the court of last resort. Federal cases are separate and belong to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama.
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama is included because federal records are outside Baldwin County Circuit Clerk custody.
That federal distinction matters because the local Circuit Clerk request form cannot supply federal court records.
Lower Courts and Records
Baldwin County District Court handles misdemeanors, felony preliminary hearings, non-capital felony guilty pleas, small claims up to $6,000, district civil cases up to $20,000, juvenile concurrent matters, and many traffic citations issued by State Troopers or county sheriff's deputies. Probate Court handles probate cases, probate calendars, recorded documents, marriage certificate recording, notary, UCC, and related Probate Office services. Municipal courts handle municipal ordinance violations, many city traffic citations, and municipal warrants.
For broad case access, start with statewide trial-court records or the Circuit Clerk. For Probate Court, use iQuery or the official-records search. For federal cases, use PACER or the Southern District court. For city cases, contact the municipal court named on the citation or notice.
Access note: Baldwin Circuit and District Court records may be searched through Just One Look or requested from the Circuit Clerk, but the clerk request form does not cover federal, municipal, other-county, or other-state records.
That access note is especially important for users coming from traffic or warrant issues. A sheriff or state-trooper traffic citation may be in Baldwin District Court, a felony prosecution may be in Circuit Court, a city ordinance citation may be in municipal court, and a federal charge belongs in the Southern District of Alabama. The record path follows the court that created the case.
For historical court research, Open Baldwin also links an archives search for older chancery, civil, criminal, and equity files. That archive is separate from modern Just One Look and separate from the Probate Office official-records search.